Reduce unutilised feed with up to 10% with the Bygholm Sieve:
In one example, the Bygholm Sieve was used by a producer, on recommendation from a KT manager, to analyse grains. They found that 10% of the
rapemeal sampled was too coarse as some of
the fine material had stuck together and formed clusters. Unmilled Soya (HiPro) showed similar results with up to 10% of the product being too coarse to be effectively digested by pigs.
The Sieve, originally developed in
Denmark, is used for monitoring the degree of coarseness of feed, cereal and
other feed products.
The coarseness and degree of grinding has
an impact on feed efficiency:
Fine grinding of the feed means that pigs can easily utilise the nutrients within it,
but intake can be reduced; this is common when feeding dry feed. Moreover, fine
grinding can result in stomach ulcers.
A coarser grinding of the feed can
result in poorer feed efficiency, but can have a positive effect on stomach
ulcers, or if there is a problem with Salmonella, E. Coli or Ileitis in the
herd.
If you would like to try the Bygholm
Sieve, and to find out the correct portioning of grain samples, contact the BPEX
KT team:
www.bpex.org.uk - kt@bpex.org.uk - 01908
844749